Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Gallus waved a hand and shook his head, "Oh, no, it shouldn't be happening too soon. You'll have time for breakfast, but we'll head up as soon as you're done." Gallus then glanced around to those he had not met before and then to Jo'rashaad. "Do you mind if I join you in the meantime? Who are your friends?"

---

"I like that idea," Sabine said, "It would be nice to have Tzirret and Ciinriel's company again, just to have fun." Sabine pulled back from Peiter and took him by the arm, "Let's go find them. They might not be awake yet."

The pair went to find Tzirret first as his room was closer. They woke him up as they knocked on the door, but Lorag had already awoken and gone by that time. He looked as if he needed to keep sleeping, but he agreed to come along with them without much reluctance. Sabine did not know where to start finding Ciinriel, but the cooking fires would be hard to pass without notice.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Morning!" Gallus said in turn as he approached. He gave the Senche an acknowledging nod, but tried not to let the Khajiit's imposing form bother him. He took a bite from his breakfast as he stopped, but he had to admit that the smell from the cook fires was tempting as well. "It went well enough. It was generally just an update either way," Gallus said with a hand on his hip, "We're having a more in-depth planning meeting this morning. There is much to discuss. Ri'nakhad wanted his lieutenants present, as you would think. Speaking of which..."

Gallus turned to the reason he came. "Do'ajee, your heritage is further north, yes? In the desert? We require those most experienced in desert travel to attend the meeting today. We need you and anyone you know to be especially experienced to come along. Would that be alright?"

---

Not content with their previous embrace, Sabine walked up behind Peiter and wrapped her arms lightly around his stomach as he stood by the window. "I do not mind where we eat," she said over his shoulder, "I would like a bath, though. Where do you feel like eating?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I have to clean the gutters, I might be a couple of hours.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Good, good," Gallus remarked, "The technique worked wonders with Tzirret in his earlier years. I'm glad it helped here."

It only took about a minute to don everything else, so Gallus was already walking towards the door when Meesei spoke. Gallus listened with a raised brow and responded, "Of course. Don't forget to grab some breakfast for yourself." Gallus opened the door and exited, "See you soon."

The orange light of the dawn still made the forest floor dim, but there were some people milling about nonetheless. As it was in Bruma, early morning routines were not universal, but they were prevalent. Gallus made a quick stop over at the store rooms for some food while he searched, but even from the platforms above, it was not easy to search for Do'ajee. He had to climb down a rope with his breakfast backstrap in his mouth to look more closely. Eventually, he found Do'ajee and waved as he approached.

---

Sabine was awoken in a similar fashion to the previous morning. She had woken up from a nightmare in the middle of the night, but did not bother Peiter for longer than the few moments it took to get back to sleep. Now, she had awoken in a sweat again, but not a cold sweat. The heat of the jungle might have overheated her had she slept in any longer.

She smiled as her eyes opened to Peiter's face. "Good morning," she replied, before tightening her embrace with Peiter and breathing in. She kissed him deeply for as long as it took for the sweat and heat to get too uncomfortable. At that point, she rolled onto her feet and stood up to stretch. Her smile was implacable. The sun was brighter than usual this morning. "I am hungry," Sabine commented with strain in the middle of stretching her arms out.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The sudden awakening caused Gallus to raise one arm as if he was going to brush Meesei's hand off his shoulder, but her voice instead made him turn his head and open his eyes a sliver. "Hmm?" he groaned, before taking in a deep breath through his nose, "Yep, yep, one moment."

In the space of about half a minute, Gallus sat up, rubbed his eyes, and stood up to start getting dressed. "I'll speak to Do'ajee as soon as I can find her," he reminded himself as much as Meesei. While tying up his breeches, he looked to Meesei and asked, "You were out like a candle last night. Did the trance help?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There was noticeable relief across Sabine when Peiter accepted and hugged her. From her angle, Sabine just brought her arms up to hug one of Peiter's arms and leaned into him. She breathed in to say something, but it didn't quite emerge. She just smiled widely and pressed the side of her head into Peiter's upper chest.

Sabine just sat silently for a few moments longer before she answered properly. "I...think I just want to cuddle tonight," she mumbled. Trying anything else was a bit much at once, but it was enough to know that Peiter was accepting of a slower pace.

When they laid themselves down to sleep, Sabine's grip was tight and affectionate around Peiter's body. "You are too nice, Peiter."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"No, no," Sabine lifted a hand halfway through Peiter's reply to clarify, "He did not take advantage of me. He did not know and I did not know what would happen. It just...turned out badly."

Peiter's promise, however much he stumbled over his words, did cause Sabine to turned her teary eyes towards him. "You promise you will not hurt me?" she asked, "You will not mind if I'm not ready? If it...does not work, you will not get angry?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Gallus stopped talking at the end of his sentence when he heard Meesei's breathing change. It was a whistling sound through her nose as if she was sleeping more than concentrating. At that, he quietly stood up, craned his head to double check that she was asleep, and smiled. It was surprising that it worked so quickly. "You really were exhausted, weren't you?" He asked rhetorically, "Sleep well, champion."

His work done, Gallus went about his routine for preparing for bed and was soon dreaming himself.

"Well..." Sabine didn't look at Peiter, "It was nice for a while, he was kind most of the time. We were together for about four months before he started...wanting to mate with me. I was nervous, so I kept telling him 'not yet.' When we separated, it was because we said some immature things to each other, insulting things, but that was not the problem." Sabine rubbed an eye in an attempt not to tear up, "Two weeks beforehand, he was pressuring me so much to try. I felt guilty. I had to do it." Sabine sniffed and her breathing became uneven as she recalled, "We found a quiet spot, but he tried too quickly and too roughly. I wasn't ready. He stopped when I said he was hurting me, but I did not want to try again. He became frustrated after that." Sabine's voice became much shakier and a tear fell from her nose, "I felt like I could not do anything. I just became angry at him instead for not understanding. I do not want the same thing to happen between us, Peiter."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Very well," Gallus sniffed and looked up at the ceiling, "Get yourself comfortable. You can sit or lay down. Close your eyes and concentrate on deep, slow breathing, just like meditation." Gallus glanced over to Meesei to make sure she was following his instructions. His voice then became slow and soft, "Now, concentrate on your breathing, but listen to my voice. Feel the sensation of the sheets on your scales, their softness, their texture. Feel the way the air fills your lungs. There may be sounds you can hear, a chirping insect, a bird call, but you do not have to worry about them if you wish. Notice that they merely exist...and move on." Gallus' voice was noticeably hypnotic at this point. "There may be footsteps on the platforms. Notice that they merely exist, and move on."

The more Meesei followed Gallus' instructions, as easy thoughts as they were, the more of the world started to seem insignificant around her without her realising it.

"And just notice...that there are things to do tomorrow." Gallus continued his slow speech, "You may worry about them if you wish, or not. It is your choice for now. Other thoughts may pass you by, you may worry about them if you wish, or not, it is your choice for now."

It may take a long or a short time, but the more Meesei slipped away, the more Gallus' voice drew her into a strange state of weightlessness.

"Notice how relaxing it would be...to lay on a beach, with the slow, rhythm of the waves in your ears...the sun embracing your skin. Your pack is milling around, peaceful and carefree. There is not a thing in the world that can find you all. Vile's forces exist, but they are not a threat today. Your ring is still on your finger, but Hircine has ordered you to relax. He will give instructions when he is ready. For now, there is only you, your pack, and the beach you lay upon. The future is something you may worry about if you wish, or not, it is your choice."

Gallus continued in this manner for however long it took to get Meesei into a focussed trance. At this point, her weightlessness was added upon, not by a numbness, but by a freedom of feeling. Long stored tensions started to manifest in Meesei's body. Gallus noticed her twitching and adjusted his words accordingly. "You may feel a twitching. Perhaps even laughter or emotion. This is natural. Allow it to flow, and move on."

Gallus intended to continue until Meesei fell asleep, but she had not instructed her not to talk if she wished.

The whole situation made Sabine uneasy and a little embarrassed, but Peiter's idea was probably a good one. She spoke with Meesei when such issues came up anyway. With how nice Peiter had been so far, she trusted him to be understanding.

Sabine pulled back from Peiter's embrace and regarded him for a moment, before seating herself on the bed and looking down at her tightly clasped hands nervously. "Back at Bruma, two years ago, do you remember when I was with Inderal?" Sabine mumbled her words.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

G'night!